LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2014 – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN’S HIGH HOPES, chronicling the making of his 18th studio album, will debut FRIDAY, APRIL 4 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, it was announced today by Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming.

The half-hour documentary by Grammy- and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny explores the creation of “High Hopes,” which reached the No. 1 position in 20 countries after its January release. The film features rare behind-the-scenes studio and rehearsal segments, exclusive E Street Band tour footage and revealing interviews with Springsteen and album collaborator Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. The two discuss their artistic choices for the project and explain how Morello brought a distinctive twist to Springsteen’s material.

Morello joined Springsteen and the E Street Band on tour in Australia in 2013 and the two began collaborating on ideas that would make their way onto “High Hopes.” Morello’s guitar work is featured on several tracks, including “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” on which he also shares lead vocals with Springsteen.

Following a successful 2014 tour of South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Springsteen and the E Street Band return for U.S. dates in April and May.

The E Street Band will also be honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a special Award for Musical Excellence at the April 10 induction ceremony, which will air on HBO in May.

“High Hopes” was released Jan. 14, 2014 to rave reviews. NPR’s “Fresh Air” said that it “makes you want to follow Springsteen wherever he may go,” while Esquire noted, “Springsteen is once more a man standing with a guitar in his hand, triumphant,” and American Songwriter called the album “a compelling, unified statement: part grief and grievance, part love and transcendence.”

In 2010, HBO presented the Springsteen documentary “The Promise: The Making of ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town,’” which was also directed by Zimny.

New footage of Bruce and Max working together on Frankie Fell in Love from WOAD session. Bruce has a funny request for Max.- Full band performing This Is Your Sword and Frankie Fell In Love. From same film shoot as the Just Like Fire Would video that was released on YouTube.- Bruce talks about Patti being good as a producer during Down in the Hole segment - we see footage of her and Soozie working together- Speaking of Patti, she appears during the "tour rehearsal" footage as the band harmonizes This Is Your Sword.- Rehearsal and tour footage of Heaven's Wall. The tour performance was excellent, wish it was released on YouTube.- Dream Baby Dream music video bits.- Very nice video of Bruce singing The Wall by himself. Almost looks like it could've been for a music video.- Ends with rehearsal of Just Like Fire Would, as seen on YouTube.

Bruce Springsteen can do little wrong in the eyes of his fans, but his latest HBO special, “Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes,” isn’t worthy of the man or his music. Essentially a 28-minute infomercial for Springsteen’s latest album, it’s a once-over-lightly look at the singer-songwriter’s collaboration with guitarist Tom Morello that spoons out only dollops of insight. Director Thom Zimny previously helmed the more expansive “The Promise: The Making of ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town,’ ” but this follow-up is either too short or about 20 minutes too long.

Weaving together interviews, rehearsal segments and tour footage, “High Hopes” gets Springsteen to talk a bit about how he comes up with lyrics (“It’s just feeling”); why a guy his age keeps hammering away performing for hours onstage night after night (“He has to”); or his commitment to putting out something with the heft of a record in this digital, a-la-carte age.

For the most part, though, those threads — including how Springsteen maintains the eye of the tiger, as it were, and stays so relevant in what seems to be a younger man’s game — are left hanging, quickly segueing to anecdotes or footage devoted to pushing this latest batch of songs.

If that’s fine for a press kit, it’s a stretch for HBO to market this as an “in-depth documentary,” when depth is perhaps the furthest thing from it.

The pay service obviously has a relationship with Springsteen — with good reason, given the devotion of his following. The E Street Band will be honored April 10 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which HBO will air the following month. The special also ties in with the band’s U.S. tour dates beginning in April.

Still, Springsteen’s reputation as an artist stems in part from his integrity, unabashed activism on behalf of the little guy and the passion he brings to his work. By those measures, lending all that authority to a trifle like “High Hopes” makes the Boss look like just another corporate boss — for the moment, anyway, one of those self-promoting, pragmatic, bottom-line-oriented types.